The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1887-10-12
ASTORIA, OREGON:
MATTERS AND THINGS.

In answering a correspondent re-
garding the disposition of the railroad
subsidy, yesterdays OregOntan falls
into the apparently typographical er-
ror of asserting that the subsidy was
given on the condition that a road
would be built from the Willamette
valley to Portland within two years. "
The conditions of the subscriptions are
that the several subscribers agree to
pay the amount of their subscriptions
on the day of the arrival here OF the
first passenger train from Portland
over a standard gauge railroad, built
and equipped; provided, that within
eighteen months from October lst,
1887. there shall be completed and
equipped frst-class standard gauge
railroad from Portland or from con-
nection with such q railroad into Port
land to Astoria. The Oregonian con-
tinues: mo one in Astoria knows, or
il he knows he will not tell, what COM
pany proposes to build the road. 1t
is generally understood that it will be
one of the roads now built to Portland,
and the opinion among Astorians is
that it is the Southern Pacific"
From the business affinities and rail-
road connections of the one who
started the present scheme-Col. j. ID.
Woodard, of San Francisco,-it is pre-
sumed that the Atchison, Topeka d
Santa Fe are the most directly promi-
nent in any scheme with which Col
Woodland is connected.
From statement said to have been
made by Col. Fred. Crocker on the oc-
casion of his recent visit to Portland,
it is believed that Col Woodlands
railroad plans in and around Oakland
are antagonistic to those of the South
ern Pacific Railroad company's In the
same vicinity. 1t is manifest that the
Southern Pacific and the Atchison,
Topeka & Santa Fe are business rivals,
and Col. Woodland is the San Francis
co representative of the latter road.
From this it is evident that it is not
the Southern Pacific that Col Wood
ard had in view when he made his
statement to Astorians as to what
would and could be done if Astoria
raised a cash subsidy of S150,G00.
The fact that there are strings tied
to some of the subscriptions indicates
a diversity of opinion among our citi-
zens as to which route would be of
most benefit to this city, the building
of the Northern Pacific dowu the left
bank of the Columbia from Hunters
Point to this city not being unani-
mously considered as the best for As
toria under the circumstances. A
route which, while affording railroad
connection with Eastern Oregon and
Washington and the Willamette val
ley, would at the same time tend to
open up to settlement and develop
ment the great timber resources of
Clatsop county, would undoubtedly
find greatest favor in the eyes of our
citizens.
As regards Col J. FL. Woodard, it is
no violation of confidence to state
that the Atchison, Topeka & Santa
Fe people have great railroad projects
on hand, that w. III. Strong is its
general superintendent, that through
his influence Col. Woodland was ap-
pointed the Santa Fe representative
on this coast, that he CWoodard) has
Just closed negotiations with Oakland
men relative to what is known as the
Laundry Farm railroad at Oakland
and Alameda, and that he is now on
hls way to Boston to consult with his
superiors and financial hackers re-
garding that and other railroad pro-
iects and probabilities.